Off the tourist trail, but an easy detour, the Blue Room is an all-time favorite among Cantabrigians- the residents of Boston’s neighboring city of Cambridge across the Charles River. It’s a subterranean space-comfortably quirky with a hip vibe and the essence of Central Square.
The Blue Room is an excellent feeding place for dinner but it is most well known for its weekly Sunday brunch that gets raves for its seasonal, imaginative multi-ethnic fare. Brunch is served casually...

One of the highlights of a visit to Mexico City is sampling a wide array of traditional Mexican foods, drinks and deserts. There are many excellent cafes, bars and restaurants located throughout the city, though you may be surprised to discover that some of the tastiest fare can be found at street stalls, markets and festivals.
Bunuelos are one of many delicious snacks that are sold inexpensively on the streets of Mexico City. They are traditional Mexican fritters, doughnuts or crisp pastries...

San Francisco definitely leads the pack in wining and dining as an art form. To keep up on the latest and greatest of San Francisco food trends, the San Francisco Convention & Visitor Bureau’s TasteSF site is the spot where food enthusiasts will find sections on food, drink and taste experiences, chef profiles, the Foodie 411 blog, food events, a list of culinary tours and much more.
Some recent spotlights:
Carnivores are Back in Fashion. In San Francisco butchers are paying attention to how...

Nestled in the quaint Ocean Beach area, this neighborhood institution has been a part of the community since 1969. Thee Bungalow is a French-inspired casual fine dining restaurant known for their 200 page wine list. Since2007, Chef Paul Niles has elevated the quality of cuisine from excellent to exquisite. While he has taken care to leave several of the restaurant’s staples on the menu—the Roasted Half Duck and Osso Bungalow are favorites of long-time regulars—Niles has introduced...

Eating a crepe on the go isn’t always possible, especially if it’s stuffed with drippy fruit sauces and loaded with cheese. However, once you become more adept, crepes turn out to be good mobile snacks. In Paris, you’ll find many crepe stands doling them out in wax paper or on paper plates. The Creperie NYC, one of New York’s few take-out places serving an extensive lineup of these savories, prepares them hot and crispy right before your eyes. The crepe artist behind the counter...

From May 10 – 16, Vancouver will showcase 27 local micro breweries with a Vancouver Craft Beer Week celebration. Local restaurateurs, bar owners and brewers will host this inaugural fest with tastings and events at restaurants around the city. It’s the first of its kind in Canada, paying tribute to the many micro breweries that produce fine beers using products like whole grains, creating an excellent tasting brew without the added flavors of rice and corn used by macro breweries...

With exotic ingredients and dynamic seasoning, Teranga in Boston’s South End features the cuisine of the western African nation of Senegal and may just be one of the most interesting restaurants in Boston. The setting of this cozy upscale eatery is warm and comfortable with modern dark tropical wood furniture, subdued lighting, African art on the exposed brick walls and Afro/world pop music playing unobtrusively in the background.
Senegal cuisine is heavy on its reliance of fish, lamb and...

Recently I moved to the other side of the river, to Costa da Caparica. Although just a short and beautiful boat ride from Lisbon, or some 15 minutes by car crossing 25 de Abril bridge, it feels like a sweet break from the rushing of the city.
But you may ask why I’m writing about it now… Costa da Caparica has the closest pristine, long shore beaches you may find in Lisbon. It’s the perfect place to go if you have one day off from Lisbon and just want to relax lying on a white sandy beach.
As...

A place has got to be good if it’s still around after opening here in NYC back in 1971….and in the Village for that matter, with all its high priced gentrification. At 119 MacDougal St. (map), Mamoun’s serves up some mean falafel! It’s easy to pass with a brown awning blending in with the surrounding brownstones but you’ll know you’ve arrived when you see more than a few folks burying their faces in something wrapped in foil.
Falafel from Mamoun's
For...

In just a few weeks over 50 Sonoma Valley wineries will open their doors to pass holders for the Passport to Sonoma weekend. The weekend held on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 from 10:30 am – 4:00 pm featurs over three hundred exceptional wines with delicious food pairings and entertainment, along an eighteen mile drive through the Sonoma Valley. Here are just a few of the participating wineries.
Anaba Wine
Join Anaba for samples of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and artisanal Rhone-style...

Described as “rustic Italian”, Alta Strada gives visitors a reason to make the trip to the quiet suburb of Wellesley. Pass through the door here and you could imagine yourself dining in a perfect Italian hill town. Owned by celebrity chef Michael Schlow-who is also behind the award-winning upscale Boston restaurants- Via Matta and Radius, Alta Strada is the casual younger sibling eatery serving up top-rated pizza, small plate cuisine, fresh pastas and grilled meats.
Neighborhood...

If the sudden turn in warm weather has you hankering for foods that come off the grill, check out Chef Kory Stewart of the award-winning Americano Restaurant & Bar at Hotel Vitale. Stewart is introducing a new Summer Grille Menu that will be available twice a week on Americano’s popular waterfront patio during lunch.
Chef Stewart upholds Americano’s long-standing philosophy of using only the freshest, sustainable ingredients for all the restaurant’s dishes – modern interpretations of...

Cinco de Mayo is the annual celebration of Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, and it is generally marked with parades and festivals, food and drink. For us bartenders, Cinco de Mayo is also known as “Amateur Night” (along with New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and the night before Thanksgiving), a night when amateur partygoers go out with big intentions and end up one of two ways: in bed by 7 PM or calling in to work at 7 AM. ...

Vietnamese food is fresh cuisine that you can feel healthy about. The food at Le’s Vietnamese Cuisine is outstanding- and kept honest by a large emigre clientele. Winners include the brightly colored fresh summer rolls that feature ingredients of very good quality-mint, shrimp, sliced pork, and shredded lettuce, wrapped in rice paper($4.25).Another winner? The barbecued roasted quail appetizer ($8.50) is delectable with a nice glaze.
Fresh, herby pho- the Vietnamese noodle soup- is a meal...

Just in time for the more than 100 participating chefs and restaurants to showcase their summer 2010 menus, Dine About Town San Francisco returns this June 1 – 15. The twice-yearly promotion provides a “culinary stimulus package” for both locals and visitors by offering a two-course lunch menu for $17.95 and/or a three-course dinner menu for $34.95. This pricing can represent up to a 25 percent savings off regularly priced a la carte items.
The complete restaurant list for Dine About Town...

For years now The Book Passage in Corte Madera has been a sanctuary of literary sanity. One of the few independent bookstores left in the Bay Area, they have made their reputation in part by holding outstanding author events and classes. And none are more popular than their Cooks With Books series. Here foodies can come taste food prepared under the supervision of the author/chef, who discusses his or her cookbook with guests throughout the meal. Held at outstanding Bay Area restaurants, the summer...

Tourism Vancouver’s annual Dine Out Vancouver 2010 begins April 26 to May 6. Presented by VISA , this is your opportunity to sample three-course dinner menus at 207 of Vancouver’s restaurants at the appealing prices of $18, $28 or $38 (exclusive of taxes, alcohol and gratuity). This smorgasbord of Vancouver restaurants is a great way to sample the many varieties of restaurants meals that are available in this multi-cultural city.
BC wine pairings are available with the meals in recognition...

If you’re a jazz lover there’s one place in Vancouver that you shouldn’t miss, and that’s The Cellar, Restaurant and Jazz Club, West Broadway at Alma Street. This is where you’ll hear the best of local jazz musicians as well as many major names on the international jazz scene.
Since he bought The Cellar in 2000, owner Cory Weeds has made it into the top jazz venue in Vancouver and also one of the top jazz venues in the world, promoting local jazz talent as well...

Leave household responsibilities behind. For Moms who may have gone too long between dining experiences that involve only chicken nuggets and pizza, Mother’s Day Brunch is a great excuse to dress up and spend quality time in Boston with the family.
Pricey but near great is the Mother’s Day brunch offered at Henrietta’s Table at the Charles Hotel (1 Bennett St., 617-661-5005)(Map) . Henrietta’s Table is totally haute-crunchy and organic. Highlights include a raw bar, carved...